FAQ 2018
Frequently Asked Questions for DBA 3 v. Q1 2018 Choosing and Placing Terrain: Q: I am the attacker. During terrain placement my opponent rolled a “6”. Do I get to place that piece of terrain? A: No. The defender always places the terrain. On a roll of “6” the attacker picks the quarter where the terrain must be placed. Forts: Q: Forts are mentioned as having a gate. Do elements have to enter and leave through this gate? A: In most cases, yes. The Fort has a gate through which all elements entering or leaving must pass unless those elements are enemy assaulting it. Camps: Q: The rules state that I can place a camp anywhere along any waterway or beach. Can I put my camp and an artillery element occupying it in my opponent's rear? A: No. The camp must be either on the rear edge of the player's deployment area or on a waterway or beach that defines that rear edge. Q: Is a camp that has been captured and sacked removed from the board? A: Optional. The camp now functions only as good going if a standard camp or as bad going if an Edifice. Q: My attacking element is moving into an enemy camp after destroying the defenders. How far does it "move in" to occupy the enemy camp? A: The element moves its normal pursuit distance if allowed, otherwise foot move one-half BW, mounted 1 BW. Edifice: Q: I have a large Pyramid model (Edifice) that I would like to use as a camp. It is larger than the specified camp size. Can I still declare it as a camp? A: No, for an Edifice to be declared a camp, it must meet the camp size restrictions. Deployment: Q: In a recent game, my opponent landed three elements grouped as a column at a 45% (approx.) angle to the waterway with the left rear corner of one element touching the waterway. Can a landing be done this way? Could this group be deployed as a line perpendicular to the waterway with one element's flank touching the waterway? A: Yes to both. Roads: Q: On my first move of my bound, I moved down a road until I contacted an enemy element next to the road. The moving element must leave the road to conform by using the free base width slide. The slide will take me off the road. Does my move still cost 0 PIPs? A: Yes. Q: Can a single element move sideways and still get the Free PIP Road Move or make multiple road moves? A: No. The center of the moving element's front must stay roughly in the center of the road and its sides roughly parallel astride the road. Movement: Q: Can a group wheel multiple times during a move? A: Yes. Any movement by the group is counted against the entire group. Q: The section of the rules describing a Command Position mentions them being stationary. May they move? A: Yes. The description is for modeling purposes. CPs move as "Solid" blades, but may not move into contact with the enemy. Rivers: Q: When crossing a river for the first time, do I have to test at its near bank? A: Yes, you test when you first touch the river. Q: If I don’t have the movement to finish crossing a non-paltry river or I had to stop because I had moved more than 1BW when I contacted it , do I have to finish the crossing next turn? A: No. Q: If an element flees into a river, it is destroyed. Is an element that recoils into a river destroyed? A: No. Q: May I deploy in a river? A: No. Q: The river in our battle was rolled to be “paltry”. I have an element that needs to move down it in order to get on the flank of an enemy element. Can I move laterally down the river? A: No. The river counts as good going for tactical move distance purposes. Group moves are allowed. The limitations concerning troops crossing at the same angle to its course as they enter and troops not being able to shoot while in a river still apply. Please note that a fleeing element that enters a paltry river is still destroyed as well. Interpenetration: Q: The interpenetration rules for a Psiloi state that “(a) it starts at least partly directly in front and ends the move lined-up behind”. Does the lined-up behind mean the Psiloi must be behind a single specific element or can it line up behind a group of elements in a line and merely parallel? How is the move measured and what happens element doesn’t have the movement available? A: It must end behind and lined up to a single specific stand. No, the move is not free. If the element doesn’t have the movement, it does not interpenetrate. The move may be measured diagonally. Q: I have a "Solid" Auxilia and behind an Elephant in a column. I wish to move the ”Solid” Auxilia to line up beside the Elephant. How do I measure the move? A: The Auxilia must move sideways for one base width. It can then move forward for one additional base width. No interpenetration is allowed except that explicitly given in the "Interpenetrating Troops" section of the rules. Good examples of this move and interpenetration in general are given in Diagrams 2b, 6a, 6b, and 6c. Q: Under "Interpenetrating Troops", the rules state, "Recoilers can pass through friends facing". Does the use of "can" imply the recoiling stand may choose to interpenetrate? A: Yes. See diagram 19d. Threat Zones: Q: The Threat zone section gives as option (b), “to advance into or towards contact with such an enemy”. Can I move into corner-to-corner contact instead of frontal contact? A: In most cases, no. Moving into overlap is NOT a valid move under the TZ restrictions, unless part of a group that is also in the TZ, and sliding to conform. See diagram 7b for a demonstration of movement options. See diagram 13b for an example of where a move to corner-to-corner contact is allowed. Moving into Contact with Enemy: Q: CPs, Lits, CWg, Art and WWgs are prevented from moving into contact with the enemy. Can they move into corner-to-corner contact (overlap) with the enemy? A: No. Q: I have an element of Blade that starts its move in the threat zone of a Spear that is on the end of a line of three enemy Spear. My Blade is lined up with the opposing spear. As I move my Blade forward, can I do so at an angle to catch multiple enemy Spear elements in my Threat Zone? Is this move allowed? A: No, you must stay lined up with Spear in front. Please reference diagram 7b for the proper ways to respond to a threat zone. ' ' Q: I am moving a line of Spears as a group. I can just barely contact the rear of a single enemy Cav element in good going with the corner of my Spear line. Does it have to conform? A: No. You must stop short. To force the Cav to conform you must contact it with your front edge in most cases... not your corner. The only exception is when contact is prevented by part-element spacing between enemy elements or physically blocked by elements, terrain or a table edge. '' '' Q: I am moving a line of Spears as a group. I can just barely contact the rear corner of a single enemy Cav element in good going with my front. Does it have to conform? A: Yes. A group contacting a single element in good going with its front edge forces the enemy element to conform. In this case, the Cav will conform on contact to having its flank or rear (whichever requires the least movement) in contact with the Spear. The Cav will then turn to face after the movement phase. '' '' Q: I have a line of cavalry that moves into contact with the side edge of a single Light Horse element. Does the Light Horse turn to face immediately or only at the end of the movement phase? A: At the end of movement. If the contact is not in front edge to side edge contact with front corners in contact, the Light Horse conforms immediately. The turn occurs after the movement phase. '' '' Shooting: Q: Can Mounted Infantry move more than 1BW and still shoot? A: No. ' ' Q: I have a group of two Bow elements in side contact. Directly opposite and lined up to my right Bow element is an enemy column of two Spear. Can my left Bow element shoot at the rear Spear element? A: Yes. War Wagons Shooting: Q: My 15mm war wagon models are 40mm by 80mm. When I fire out of my long edges, is my arc of fire 80mm to each side? What is the range? A: The base width (BW) for a 15mm war wagon is 40mm. The base depth is 80mm. Your arc is 1BW. The range is 3BW, or 120mm, in your example. Q: Do I have to declare a “shooting edge”? A: Yes, you must declare a “shooting edge”. The Shooting Arc is 1BW to each side of the 1BW section selected as a Shooting Edge. You may shoot out to 3BW measured from any part of the selected section. Please note that war wagons using the option of deeper bases may have their declared shooting edge be smaller than the edge of the model. Resolving Shooting or Close Combat: Q: My army has an element of Mtd-4Lb and an element of 4Bd. Can the Mtd-4Lb receive side support from the 4Bd? A: Yes, Mtd-4Lb is an element of "Solid" Bow. It is the same as a 4Lb element except is has a deeper base with mounts, moves 3BW in good going, can move more than once per bound, has different deployment rules, and has a different combat outcome in bad going. ' ' Q: Do LB and CB destroy enemy knights on ties in both close and distance combat? A: No, in close combat only. Q: Do "Solid" Bow that are not LB or CB recoil mounted in close combat on ties? A: Yes. Q: I have a Light Horse element that was shot by artillery in the rear who was the primary shooter. The Combat Outcome states that it will flee to its rear. This will actually have it contact the artillery that shot it. Is this correct? A: This is the result for the rules as written, but is an oversight in the rules. With both players’ agreement, use this exception... "An element with a Flee outcome to shooting at least partially on its rear edge, does not turn 180 degrees before moving but just Flees straight forward. " This would apply to any element receiving a flee result from shooting at least partially to its rear edge. We recommend adding this exception as the last line of the first paragraph regarding "Fleeing" on page 12. ' ' Close Combat: Q: I have a Psiloi contacted to the front by a group of two Knights in line. Do I count the overlap as a -1 Tactical Factor? A: No. In most cases an element overlapped by a corner contact received a -1 Tactical Factor as a penalty in close combat. Psiloi and Scythed Chariots however do not count this tactical factor if the overlap is front corner only. Please note that they do receive the -1 tactical factor in any other overlapped situation. '' '' Q: My opponent is facing my line of Blades with a Pike block. I moved another element into side-to-side contact with the rear Pike. A flank contact against a supporting Pike counts as a flank contact against the front element. Does my side-to-side contact against the rear Pike element count as an overlap? A: No. '' '' Q: My "Solid" Bow Is in close combat to its front with a “Solid” Horde. An enemy cavalry is on my flank. I win the combat. What happens to the cavalry on my flank? A: It depends on the combat outcome. If the outcome is "No Effect", then the enemy cavalry remains in place. If the outcome is "Destroyed" then the enemy cavalry recoils (a destroyed result assumes additional unstated tactical factors). ' ' Recoil: Q: I have 2 elements in a column. The lead element is destroyed. Is the second destroyed as well? A: No. The rear element is not destroyed unless that element has an enemy front edge in flank or rear contact with itself. Elephant Recoil: ''' Q: Does an elephant that is contacted both to the front and also to the flank or rear by enemy front edges (“flanked” or “reared”), recoil and destroy the elements behind it? A: No. Elephants that receive a recoil result with enemy in front edge contact to both their front and to their flank or rear are destroyed instead of recoiling. This is the same as all other elements. Q: If my Elephants receive a recoil result and aren’t “flanked” or “reared” do they meet and destroy all elements in their recoil path? A: In most cases, yes. Elements in BUA and Camps are exceptions to this. Elements in these terrain features usually aren’t destroyed unless they are other Elephants. Q: Are Elephants that meet Elephants during a recoil move in all cases destroyed? A: Yes. They do not finish their recoil. They also destroy the Elephants met. Q: If my Elephants start their recoil with their rear in contact with a City, Fort, or camp are they destroyed? A: Yes. Q: If my Elephants contact a City, Fort, or camp during a recoil move (the elephant has space to start the recoil), what happens? A: They end their movement. Q: What happens if my recoiling Elephants contact elements in a Hamlet or Edifice? A: Elephants that recoil into Elephants in a Hamlet or Edifice destroy them (and are destroyed) as outlined above. Other elements are usually not destroyed. They are pushed back or block recoil per standard recoil rules. Q: The rules say that Elephants destroy elements “met”. Does this mean elements they just touch? A: No. The Elephant has to actually enter the area occupied by another to destroy it. Touching doesn’t count as “meeting” in this case. '''Pursuing: Q: My Pike block just recoiled an element of Knights. Do my Pike pursue? A: No. Most foot does not pursue mounted except in special situations. Please note that Hordes are an exception and do pursue mounted in most cases. ' ' ' ' Big Battle DBA: Q: I have a command in BBDBA that has been lost (removed). It consists of a 3Kn General, 3x 6Kns, 6x Sp and 2x7Hd. How many elements does it count towards losing the game? A: 14 elements. The 3Kn General counts as two elements lost. The first 6Kn counts as two as well. The rest of the elements count one per element. Please remember that while destroyed Hordes don't count towards demoralization of commands, they do count towards an army being defeated. Q: In a BBDBA game, the smallest command of my opponent’s army has become demoralized. He has several Pike elements in close combat with my Blades. They are all supported by additional Pike elements to the rear. Does he have to pay a PIP to hold the rear rank, or are they considered in close combat? A: They must pay a PIP to hold if they can count as a group or a PIP per element if otherwise. A pike element providing rear support is not in close combat in the situation described, though it would be if the front element were contacted to front and flank. In BBDBA the element providing rear rank support will need to be steadied (a PIP expended to hold) if the command it belongs to becomes demoralized, otherwise it will flee. ' ' Diagrams: Q: Some of the text for the diagrams seems incomplete or confusing. What is the correct text? A: A few of the diagrams had some dropped text or mislabeling. Diagram 1a. The first sentence of the 3rd paragraph should read, “Some troop types, Cavalry, Camelry, Light Horse, Auxilia, Mounted Infantry, or Psiloi, can also deploy in the shaded area.” Diagram 1b. The last sentence of the 2nd paragraph should read… “All other area terrain features must not exceed a length to width ration of 2:1.” Diagram 3a. Groups. The last line should read, "and at least one corner to corner contact." Diagram 7b. The second sentence of the last paragraph should read the following, “The options for Spear B are to halt, to slide sideways to line up with Blade Y, or to move straight backwards without any deviations up to its full tactical move.” Diagram 15b. The second sentence under “Third Party shooting:” should read, “If Bow A is still able to shoot after this has been resolved, Bow A may shoot at its original target.” Diagram 19a. The second to the last paragraph should read, “Knight D has chosen to recoil its base depth.” The last paragraph should read, “Knight E has recoiled 1 Base Width which is the maximum distance for mounted elements.” Allies: Q: The DBA army lists give the available allies for every army. The Big Battle rules however state," The army can instead include allied commands of the same year from lists with a different number or with the same number but a different letter" Does this mean that I can take any army list in the book with a different number? Can I take as many allies as I want? Can I pick an ally not listed? A: No. In Big Battle you still must pick your ally or allies from the correct section of the army lists and follow the instructions given. The Big Battle rule quoted prevents a player from taking a second possible ally from the same list as the first. Please note that some individual army lists allow exceptions to this general rule. For example... Army list III/77 Papal Italian Army may take III/73a twice or III/73b twice, "or (0-2 of III/73a) or (0-2 of III/73b). " Q: In Big Battle within a command can I take up to 3 allied elements like in a standard sized game? A: No. Allied commands must be 12 element commands and may not be mixed with other commands. Please notice that allies are not always reciprocal. Category:For Beginners